Resiliency is the strongest attribute we can develop and possess that will help us to be successful during the social distancing and quarantine during COVID-19. Resiliency allows us to feel a sense of capability and strength during difficult times. Resiliency protects us from vulnerability, and vulnerability can make the process of managing this pandemic much more difficult.
Dr Bruce Perry studies stress and resilience and recently put out an education on the Neurosequential Network on how to maintain resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. His suggestions are below, with suggestions added in brackets:
Have daily structure (daily routine like bathing, getting dressed, movement)
Eat with others (even if over video or phone)
Limit media exposure to what is happening in the world
Exercise regularly (stretching, yoga, walking, home workouts)
Reach out to others (call, write letters, video call, send photos, etc)
Help others (get their groceries for them, or mow their lawn, say hello from a distance)
Engage in sleep hygiene (regular sleep pattern and ways to develop good sleep)
Have a positive, future focused view of the world, others and yourself (this is not forever, things will be different)
Have connectedness:
Conduct meaningful work in your days (do anything that has meaning for you)
Secure income (apply for EI or emergency funding, work from home, organize finances)
Secure housing (talk with the bank or your landlord if you need financial help to keep your housing secured if you are struggling with financial changes at this time)
Keep cultural connections (watch meetings online, continue with cultural practices)
Mainstream culture & ethnicity (stay connected with your community as you are able)
Safe and stable family (take breaks from each other, breathe when feeling emotions rising)
Safe and stable community (join local activities such as making masks of medical staff, cheer at 7pm, put hearts on your windows for others to see)
An important way to build and keep resilience is to develop a lifestyle that can be predictable, moderate and controllable to manage the impact of stress from the world.
If you are struggling with gaining or maintaining any of these aspects, please reach out to others who may be able to assist you, or feel free to connect with me on my ‘Contact Me’ page for support.
Source from: https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources
Hello all!
It’s been a while since my last post- yikes! I have to stay, I did a few things at that time…
1. When I posted last about using extended health benefits for counselling, I so appreciated your calls about how to use your benefits! Hearing from folks about what their benefits look like and how to make the most of them was heartwarming. I’m glad this was helpful for you.
2. I also reviewed my previous posts and really was excited to create another vision board. On my vision board I really prioritized more time with people and less on the computer- and that’s exactly what I did!
Now, with how the world is, I felt drawn to come back to blogging to send all of you information I have been gathering to help us all during this COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that the next few posts are helpful for you in navigating through this worldly experience.
If anyone is like me out there, you may have already cleaned to bathroom, did the laundry, swept the floors and washed the dishes. Now what? Netflix for 8 hours? It’s week 2 of social distancing and there’s only so many times to see Netflix asking if you are still watching, or wash the same cup.
At this time, we have been told that we have weeks if not months of social distancing, so why not have a plan or at least a list of suggestions of things to do when feeling lost on what to do next?
Here is a list of ideas I’d like to offer you to help you do well as we go through the next while supporting the efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Go for a walk
Kick the ball in the yard or local park
Do a free workout at home
Do a free yoga session at home
Stretch
Sit in the sunshine
Mow the lawn
Garden
Plant flowers
Sweep the porch
Rearrange the furniture if your house
Read a book or magazine
Learn something new
Sew, knit, crochet
Do a puzzle
Play a board game
Play a card game
Have a dance party in your house
Make a fort in your living room
Do a face mask
Massage your hands or feet with lotion
Paint your nails
Practice a new hair style
Do your taxes
Take a free online course
Take an online tour of the world and space
Watch a live animal camera
Watch an online concert
Dust
Organize a shelving unit
Organize your clothing drawers
Clean your closet(s)
Change over clothing in closet
Organize Tupperware
Clean out the ‘junk drawer’
Organize the dry food cupboards
Clean out the fridge
Clean the oven
Paint a wall
Frame some photos
Hang artwork
Make something new
Do a craft
Colour a colouring book
Send a letter to someone
Make something for someone else
Bake, or cook
Have a bath or long shower
Call a friend or family member
Video chat with a loved one, or group of loved ones
Play online games with others
Look at old photos
Organize photos for a photo book
Listen to a podcast
Clean up your email inbox
Make a vision board
Watch some inspiring videos, like a TedTalk
Practice mindfulness
Give yourself compassion
Play brain games
Play an instrument
Journal your experience
Write poetry
Learn a language
Now this is just a small list of things to do while in quarantine or social distancing. Have any ideas of your own? Feel free to add in the comments below! Struggling with remaining home? I offer video and phone sessions to connect with you at home! Feel free to visit my ‘Contact Me’ page or give me a call!